DPSA & Public Service Commission 2007/08 Annual Reports & 2009 Strategic Plans

Meeting report

Opening remarks by the Chairperson
Ms Matsomela reminded all present of the fact that change was the only constant, and referred to the maxim that what could not be changed had to be accepted, but what could be changed had to be done, and courageously. She committed herself and the Portfolio Committee to the resolution that the aim of good government was to represent the interests of citizens.

DPSA Annual Report presentation
Professor Richard Levin, DPSA Director General, provided a brief historical overview of the establishment of the DPSA, and its mandate, which centered around the transformation and modernisation of the public service. A vision for the Department was defined as striving to be a global leader in public service excellence.

DPSA programmes were identified as Administration; Human Resource Management and Development (HRM&D); Management of Compensation (MOC); Information and Technology Management (I &TM); Service Delivery Improvement (SDI), and Governance.

The 2007/2008 Annual Report was presented under the following headings (see document):

Strategic Outputs for each Programme:
Human Resource Management and Development (HRM&D): HR planning capacity in all governments had improved, and a Human Resource Planning strategic framework had been developed.

Management of Compensation (MOC): Occupation Specific Dispensations for nurses, educators and legal personnel had been developed.

Information and Technology Management (I&TM): State Information Technology Agency (SITA) compliance with shareholder compact was evaluated.

Service Delivery Improvement (SDI): Batho Pele (People First) policy had been cascaded to local government.

Governance: An anti-corruption strategy for the Single Public Service had been developed.

This was followed by a description of Achievements for each programme as well as for Legislation.

Human Resource performance and management:
The Department noted the following:
Employment: As at 31 March 2008, the occupancy rate was 396 (83.7%) out of 473, up from 79% for the previous year. The vacancy rate was 16.3%, compared to 21% for the previous year.

Employment changes and equity:
The 2008 target for women in SMS had been 48%. At 31 March 2008 the status was 45%.
The 2008 target for blacks had been 80%. At the above date the status was 73%.

Performance rewards: 119 (31.07%) employees received performance rewards.

Skills development: 200 out of 396 employees received skills training, 121 females and 79 males.

Budget allocation and financial performance:
The Department had achieved an unqualified audit opinion by the Auditor General.

Financial statements for 2007/08 were discussed under the headings of Appropriation for 2007/2008; Economic classification comparison; Programme Expenditure comparison; Detail on Variance; Main cost drivers; Efficiency savings, and Departmental Revenue.

DPSA strategic plan for 2009/2010 – 2011/2012
This briefing commenced with an overview of the public service context. Achievements rated were the integration of previously divided administration systems into one coherent system; the achievement of employment equity, and a commitment to good governance practices, including establishment of anti-corruption measures.

A major challenge identified was community dissatisfaction due to poor service delivery in some areas, which resulted in protests. Public confidence in government’s ability to deliver had been undermined by corruption and maladministration.

Medium-term strategic objectives of the DPSA were defined. These included developing the human capacity of the public sector by ensuring a healthy, skilled, productive and professional workforce, and the pursuit of international strategic partnerships in order to consolidate SA’s regional and international public administration agenda.

Budget allocation for 2008/09 to 2011/12, in terms of R’000, stood at 420,208 for 2008/09; 355,801 for 2009/10; 402,769 for 2010/11, and 417,375 for 2011/12.

Discussion
Ms Matsomela referred to problems with salary scales experienced in Public Service. She identified employee strikes that had occurred, as a challenge to the Department.

Professor Levin replied that research carried out pointed to dissatisfactions due to social relations in the workplace, many of them related to conditions in the workplace environment. Public servants felt undervalued and unrecognised, especially if they had had to work especially hard to reach delivery objectives. The Department response was to strengthen the HR management function.

The physical working environment of public servants was often unsatisfactory, with equipment in a bad state of repair. The same went for buildings, and the frontline office environment. The Department had worked with Home Affairs to improve workplace conditions and office environments. An occupational health and safety policy had been developed.

Mr Kenny Govender, Deputy Director General (MOC), pointed out that an occupational specific dispensation for nurses was being developed. A centralised approach was followed. Challenges experienced were a general lack of capacity at departmental levels, and the fact that reports about dissatisfaction were being manipulated for personal gain.

Concerning the strike, he referred to a lack of capacity with respect to the management of discipline and grievances.

Ms Colette Clark, Deputy Director General (HRM), added that there was a general drive to improve the working lives of public servants. A serious problem was that HR managers were generally non-specialists. Strategic repositioning had to occur. Concerning the training of HR operatives, she noted health and wellness conferences held, and a commitment to the establishment of a decent working agenda. An urgent question was the manner in which senior managers could be assisted to understand their role.

She referred to a Cabinet request that the performance management system receive attention. Initiatives were needed to strengthen managerial competence. Managerial skill in terms of social relations, was salient.

Mr C Morkel (ANC) referred to the State Information Technology Agency (SITA). What had been the original intention with SITA, and what was it currently? Departments were operating in silos, not speaking to each other. These silos were controlled by people who were building empires for themselves. Systems needed to talk to each other. He pointed out what had had happened to efforts to construct a single file and medical history of individual patients. The DTI had to talk to the Governance and Administration cluster. But systems were not talking to each other, and the original intention of SITA had been lost. He asked that the Department provide more detail of their roadmap.

Professor Levin responded that incisive observation of SITA operability had been part of its mandate. What was currently being done? The Minister was managing a review of the organisation. SITA had faced challenges of credibility. The existence of silos was linked to the inability of SITA to perform. SITA had to get credible. People had to be prevented from silo-ing.

Mr Morkel commented on social relations in the workplace. In his constituency, social services were not functioning adequately on Mondays and Fridays as staff were away on “compassionate leave”. On Mondays, there were cases requiring attention stemming from alcohol and drug abuse and violence over the weekend, and very often staff were still on their way home from funerals. These same vistors to funerals would leave on Fridays. Compassionate leave was being abused. Were there statistics on compassionate leave? What constituted ‘kin’ in terms of the stipulations for compassionate leave? Were officials entitled to attend funerals of distant relations?

Mr Govender replied that leave policy with respect to family granted 5 days per year, and that such leave was only granted for immediate family.

Mr K Julies (DA) urged that the state “had a responsibility to look at their engine room”. Public servants had to be supplied with tools, and salaries had to be satisfactory. The Public Service Commission supplied recommendations for better service delivery, and tools had been supplied in the form of advisory agents.

He continued that he had visited public service offices that were locked up during service hours. The state had to be more aggressive about service delivery. Municipal officials were still leaving their workplaces in an undisciplined manner. Political leaders had to listen to the same problems year after year.

Prof Levin answered that the Minister wanted a review of this situation. The question arose as to whom officials were accountable, if they were not at work. It could be possible that they were occupied with poverty intervention.

Mr N Gcwabaza (ANC) asked for elaboration about challenges to meet gender equity. Had the challenges of disability employment requirements been met?

Prof Levin replied that the target of employing 50% women, had not been met. The same applied to disability targets. What was needed, was a strengthening of intent. He remained convinced that meeting challenges required exactly that.

Ms Clark added that South Africa had only recently become committed to disability. Strategies for modification of work environments were needed.

Concerning gender equity, Prof Levin replied that formulated policy demanded 3200 positions for women in senior management. A 30% appointment of women had been required in 2005, and by 2009 it had grown to 50%. Saturation and stagnation of vacancies created for women, rendered the situation problematic. Line departments had to be persuaded to adjust their recruiting. A report on the matter would be taken to Cabinet.

Mr Gcwabaza asked how far down assessments of corruption could reach. Could provincial departments be reached? What was the situation with regards to matters such as tender process corruption? What were the outcomes of departmental assessments?

Prof Levin replied that anti-corruption framework assessment was not just national, it looked at government across spheres, and especially at perceptions of the effectiveness of the framework. A key finding had been that perceptions of corruption were not backed up by the actual incidence thereof. It was perceived to be a more widespread problem than the facts seemed to indicate.

Mr Gcwabaza enquired about cross border transfers. Did this refer to transfers across departments, or from country to country?

Mr Govender explained that cross border transfer usually referred to transfer between provinces.

Prof Levin referred to MOU agreements with international partners. Apart from the DRC, there had not been much implementation. The Minister had expressed concern about the fact that agreements were signed freely, but not much got done. The Department wanted bilateral programmes. MOUs had to be kept simple and easy. Shared knowledge and exchanged visits were viable. Bilateral initiatives were challenging. The agreement between Brazil, South Africa and India had not yet lived up to expectations, but there had been some exchange of knowledge.

Mr Julies asked if it was permissible for officials to do other remunerated work while on leave.

Prof Levin replied that special permission had to be obtained to do that.

Ms Matsomela enquired about the impact of infrastructure development projects on service delivery.

Prof Levin replied that the impact differed from department to department. There were constraints on free spending in government departments. Departments had to be streamlined. The tendency was to cut from departments like DPSA that could accommodate it. Departments would have to learn to prioritise. Only then would there be an ability to deliver on priorities.

Public Service Commission Annual Report presentation
Professor Stan Sikhumbuzo Sangweni, PSC Chairperson, stated that the PSC was mandated by the Constitution to promote sound values and principles of pubic administration, and to propose measures to ensure effective and efficient performance in the Public Service.

Dr Odette Ramsingh, Director General, OPSC, then proceeded to present the Annual Report.

Programme 1: Administration
Dr Ramsingh noted that the PSC had again received an unqualified audit with no Matters of Emphasis reported. Under-expenditure had been kept down to 0,03%, well below the accepted norm of 2%.

The PSC had successfully positioned itself as the Custodian of Good Governance.

Programme 2: Investigations and Human Resource Reviews (IHRR)
These were discussed under the headings of Labour relations improvement; Public administration investigations, and Professional ethics and human resource reviews.

The PSC continued to provide a comprehensive secretariat service to the National Anti-Corruption Forum. The National Anti-Corruption Hotline (NACH) had generated a stream of corruption and service delivery cases.

Programme 3: Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
This was presented under the headings of Governance monitoring and Evaluation; Leadership and performance management, and Service delivery and quality assurance.

The PSC was increasingly seen as an authority on performance management. Presentations on the use of the Citizen’s Forum Toolkit had been given to various provincial departments.

Strategic plan for the MTEF period 2008/9 to 2010/11
The PSC held its strategic plan in April 2008 under the theme “To the finish and beyond”. The PSC intended overseeing the effectiveness of HRM in all spheres of government, and to develop instruments and toolkits to improve implementation of HRM practices.

The PSC had established itself as a key role player in the promotion of sound labour relations in the Public Service through its involvement in grievance resolution and research into labour relations practices.

The PSC viewed incidents of service delivery protests during the 2006/7 financial year as a wake-up call to the importance of participatory governance in the country. It was committed to encourage the use of Citizens Satisfaction Surveys to obtain the views of citizens.

The PSC conducted public administration investigations of its own accord, and had had to deal with a steady increase in the number of complaints lodged. The limited investigative capacity of the PSC had been constrained by non corruption related complaints received through the National Anti-Corruption Hotline. Requests for increased capacity had not been accommodated.

The PSC had taken a province-specific approach in assessing the state of professional ethics in the Public Service.

Research initiatives included the development of a set of key drivers of citizen satisfaction and to pilot them with selected departments.

Budget allocations and contextual challenges
In comparison to the overall PSC budget, the percentage increase in its budget had been insufficient to deliver on its mandate. The PSC budget for the MTEF had been reduced significantly.

There has been calls from all sectors for an increase in the activities of the National Anti Corruption Forum. The PSC as secretariat would have to move beyond its current role and more actively drive the activities and outputs of the National Anti Corruption Forum (NACF). Given its current resource constraints such a shift in approach would not be possible.

The services and support of the PSC had in recent years increasingly been required in other parts of the continent. Initiatives like the establishment of the Association of African Public Services Commissions (AAPSComs) and the MoU with the Southern Sudan Civil Service Commission marked the beginning of more involvement in regional integration efforts.

The PSC regarded itself as a knowledge and research institution. Budget cuts and constraints would make less deep research possible, and the PSC would be hampered in its ability to provide advice to the Portfolio Committee.

Discussion
Mr Morkel asked about customer service satisfaction surveys. What kind of communications methodology had been used to reach out to citizens? Were these performed at particular locations? Was a survey format used? He wondered if it had been possible to reach illiterates.
Mr Govender replied that the PSC evaluated departments, but there had also been a need to know what citizens think. The PSC employed community organisations to assist with the surveys as neutral facilitators. Oral traditions were resorted to, and it was multi-lingual in scope. Objectives were to work towards low cost meaningful solutions, and to develop a citizen satisfaction toolkit. Departments did not engage at the community level, but rather as bureaucrats.

Mr Morkel referred to the NACH corruption hotline. This seemed to him to be a transversal function of the PSC. During the DPSA presentation, it was stated that allegations of corruption were not matched by actual incidents. It seemed to him that reporting about corruption had to be balanced out by investigation.

Prof Sangweni responded that allegations of corruption had to be viewed carefully. Allegations differed. Sometimes there was an ulterior motive behind it. Corruption was a secretive activity, hence a widespread allegation was puzzling in itself. Yet some allegations were plausible. There were allegations of tenders awarded to family members, that could not be figments of the imagination. Or children appointed to positions. This could be frustrating.

Mr Morkel alluded to the PSC resolve to strengthen the management of the NACH hotline in the presentation. He requested an analysis for the four year period leading up to 2008. How many reported cases resulted in convictions. The capacity of the hotline had to be increased. Was the hotline a toll free number, or was someone sitting at a desk, taking calls?

Dr Ramsingh responded that the Cabinet directive had been for one single hotline. Proliferation was undesirable.

For the Public Service, there was a 24/7 toll free number, an outsourced call centre. There were walk-in access points and an email service. These were connected to the call centre for case management by the PSC.

PSC would categorize the reported matter according to seriousness, and refer it to departments, who had the responsibility to deal with it.

4000 cases had been farmed out to departments, with 26% feedback received. Between 40% to 60% of allegations had been found to be insubstantial. The PSC did desk audits, were departments had to produce reports on allegations referred to them.

PSC had begun to compile a quantitative record of NACH successes. How much money had been recovered, how many disciplinary hearings conducted, and how many cases taken to criminal courts.

In spite of the Cabinet insistence on a single line, some departments had gone their own way. Social Security established their own hotline, and were totally overwhelmed by 24000 incidents reported per year. Currently they were begging PSC to render assistance.

Mr Gcwabaza referred to labour relations grievances withdrawn by employees in the presentation. Had that been due to successful internal resolution, or did the complainees give up? He was convinced that there was a consistent lack of grievance resolution because departments did not supply enough information. Was a workshop needed? Officials had to recognise the need for and the urgency of supplying information.

Prof Sangweni replied that as far as knowledge to deal with problems was concerned, a backlog existed. There was sheer negligence on the part of officials to acquaint themselves with the grievance procedure. Regulated labour relations suffered greatly from this. Often a Chief Director would not know how a grievance should be raised. Workshopping for officials in HR departments on grievance procedure, was indeed necessary. Much ignorance existed.

Ms Matsomela enquired as to how service delivery complaints received through the NACH, could best be addressed. Would it require a strengthening of PSC capacity, or rather that of the various departments?

Prof Sangweni replied that the flow of service delivery complaints originated at the departmental level. Departments had to develop resource-adequate capacity to deal with it. The PSC should merely have an oversight role.

Dr N Maharaj, PSC Commissioner, added that complaints were best addressed at the source, by departments. In terms of Batho Pele there had to be a complaint mechanism in place.

At a service delivery point, there had to be clear indications where complaints could be lodged. Complaints had to be consistently dealt with at the lowest point.

Mr Morkel remarked that the citizen satisfaction toolkit had apparently not been taken on board. How could Parliament grant the PSC the clout to make it mandatory?

Dr Ramsingh replied that departments had been informed that the PSC would workshop the Citizen Forum toolkit with them. It was currently done on request. The PSC had to come up with a template for public participation. Pilot studies had shown it to be useful.

Ms Matsomela noted that the PSC budget had not been sufficiently increased. Was this a recent tendency, or had it occurred throughout?

Dr Maharaj responded that budget increases had mostly been to accommodate increased compensation for employees. Salary increases absorbed budget capacity. This was well below inflationary increases for line functions. A clear budget analysis was required. The PSC had delivered way above its resources. Ethics and anti-corruption strategies were hardly affordable.

Mr Gcwabaza remarked that budget constraints would compromise the PSC, how could staff and HR components be retained? Research and investigation capacities would be compromised. Good PSC work could be undone. Parliament and the PSC had to sit down, and think deeper.

Ms Matsomela indicated that she shared these sentiments. Ability and capacity had to be nurtured. The PSC had indeed done good work, and the Portfolio Committee had an obligation to take up its cause. How could the Committee help? Little time remained, but at least the new Parliament could be properly prepared for rendering future assistance, through current efforts. She would liaise with Prof Sangweni.

Prof Sangweni thanked Mr Gcwabaza for the sentiments expressed. The PSC would provide relevant documentation. Every year the PSC had to provide strong motivations, but the position became worse.

Ms Matsomela thanked all delegates and adjourned the meeting.